Circuit de Millau Grands Causses
It is in fact a formidable concentrate of all that the Grands Causses can offer us of the most beautiful, the most typical, and, not to spoil anything, it starts at the very gates of the town of Millau. This is the charm of this town, open to the world but fiercely attached to its natural and cultural heritage. But one quickly forgets the urbanization of Millau to enter a completely different setting. In Massebiau, the gates of the Dourbie gorges open and propel you into a world that has suddenly become vertical. The Dourbie, full of water and stones, gives the visitor little respite, so vast and complex is the field of visual exploration. The luxuriant greenery of the shady slopes and the shimmering lights of the southern slopes invite you to stop at the foot of the innumerable ravines that tumble down from the Causse Noir. At every bend the ruins and remains remind you of the time when fruit trees and vines clung to the steep slopes. It is a new horizon to discover. The route at the bottom of the Gorges takes you as far as Roque-Sainte-Marguerite which undoubtedly deserves another stop for a pleasant stroll, from the old stone calades to the keep, the eternal sentinel of the village. It is now time to take some height. The ascent on the Causse Noir is well deserved, but it offers an exceptional panorama of the Causse du Larzac and the nearby Cévennes. Here, these high altitude limestone plateaus are called the Causses and the one that concerns us here is the Causse Noir. Black, because it is abundantly planted with Scots and black pines which give it its characteristic dark colour. The crossing of the plateau takes place in an astonishing scenery that alternates vast stretches of desert limestone and dark pine forests. In an atmosphere at the end of the world, the arrival on the natural site of Montpellier le vieux and its incredible limestone maze leaves no one indifferent. All that remains is to begin the descent to Millau while enjoying the panorama of the city and its famous Viaduct.
